About Politically Personal

• Rochelle Dudley is co-founder of PolitcallyPersonal.com and president of OnMessage Strategic Communications, Inc. A native Floridian, Dudley grew up in St. Petersburg and later migrated to Tampa, where she studied journalism at the University of South Florida, worked promotions for a popular radio station, owned and operated a paint-your-own pottery studio and volunteered with the Republican Party – a combination that ultimately shaped her communication, event planning and project management skills. In 2008, a chance meeting with U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan led to her moving to Manatee County, landing her first job in politics and, ultimately, discovering her passion. Over the years, Dudley has had the privilege of working as a field staffer, campaign manager and social media consultant for numerous candidates running for local and statewide office. She founded OnMessage Strategic Communications in 2011 to provide consulting services in the areas of political fundraising, public relations, social media, volunteer coordination, voter outreach and grassroots initiatives, and has quickly become the "go to" girl for conservative candidates seeking help with campaign fundraising and strategy.		Candice McElyea, co-founder of Politically Personal, is also owner & president of 360 Degrees PR & Marketing, Inc. The company is based out of Lakewood Ranch, FL. McElyea has a thorough background in sales, marketing and management experience, as well as a strong media background. McElyea is a graduate of Riverview High School in Sarasota and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Florida in 1996. She started her professional career as a television news reporter, working on air in Gainesville FL, Salisbury MD and Sarasota FL, covering politics in several states. She even ran for office once at age 24, in a race for a US Congressional seat (and lost obviously!) 360 Degrees handles full service public relations and press writing, social media strategy and implementation, and several other marketing services, and handles pr for several political campaigns. McElyea has consulted for one of the largest lobbyist groups in the country. A blogger on several local news websites and a contributor to Yahoo! News, McElyea has a passion for covering political people and learning about what makes them tick and her specialties include social media strategy and implementation, and complete digital image management. Before launching 360 Degrees, McElyea served as the director of marketing & public relations for one of the largest developers in Florida from 2009-2012, handling the marketing and PR for ten different subsidiaries including residential and commercial real estate, a sports campus, a downtown Main Street, and more. McElyea is also a dedicated community advocate, sitting on several non-profit boards in the Sarasota and Manatee County region.